Port closure device



May 17,193s. c K. TEXTOR 2,117,774

PORT CLOSURE DEVICE Filed May 4, 1936 Patented May 17, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PORT CLOSURE DEVICE Clinton K. Textor, Cloquet, Minn., assignor to The Northwest Paper Company, Cloquet, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Application May 4, 1936, Serial No. 77,671

1 Claim. (01. 251--56) The present invention relates to port closures in the form illustrated it is slightly inclined to or gates for controlling the flow of fluid as into provide a tapered abutment for a movable wedge or out of a tank, pipe, or the like. It has parmember as clearly shown in Fig. 3.

ticular application to water tanks, such as may The closure member I6 is provided with ears or be used for settling systems in water purificalugs 2| and 22 which during the port closing op- 5 tion. eration come to rest on the yoke arms ill and The object of the invention is to provide a [8, which thus provide stops for arresting downsimple inexpensive, yet eflicient closure for an ward movement of the plate in port registering orifice or port, which is capable of ready acposition.

cess to free the same if it becomes frozen from The sealing action is obtained by a wedge 24 10 disuse, to repair the same, or to renew the packwhich in cooperation with the abutment provided ing therein. by the base 20 of the yoke, acts on the plate [6 The device may be made in numerous ways to jam or press the plate into place. The wedge embodying the principle of the structure set 24 may be used as a carrier for the plate by a forth in the accompanying drawing in which suitable connection. A rod 25 carries the wedge 15 Fig. 1 represents a water settling tank in cross to lift it up and to jam it down. Rod 25 passes section equipped with the device. loosely through a recess, such as a hole 26 in a Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the device partly lug 2'! projecting from the plate at the top. The in cross section. relation is such that the top of the wedge en- Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section on line 3-3 gages the lower face of the lug to lift the closure 20 of Fig. 2. member when the wedge is lifted a certain Fig. 4 is a horizontal cross section on line 44 amount indicated in Fig. 3 by the space appearcf Fig. 2. ing between them. This lost motion connection The invention provides for an orifice or port provides for the release of the closure member 16 5 to be closed by a cover or closure member with by the wedge 24 in the first portion of the port a, suitable gasket, and a wedge means for holdopening operation, and for the return of the cloing the closing member in closing position. sure member into alinement with the port prior In the preferred embodiment, the orifice is proto the final portion of the closing operation. vided by the opening in the end of a pipe I!) hav- Various operating means may be provided in 30 ing a marginal flange II. The pipe is set into addition to the rod 25, and this may depend upon 30 the wall of a water tank [2 which has a low parthe place of use. In the form shown, a bracket tition l3 therein as an incident to its use as a 30 is mounted on top of the wall of tank It, with settling tank. The flange H provides a com a pivoted arm or lever 3!. The end over the invenient seat for the closure member and also a side of the tank is pivoted at 32 to the rod 25. 35 convenient place to locate a gasket. In the em- To open the port or orifice of the tank the 35 bcdiment illustrated, the flange is provided with handle end of the lever 3! is moved downwardly, an annular groove I4 in its face, into which a which movement effects the elevation of the rod length of ordinary rubber hose I5 is inserted as and the wedge 24. Initial movement of the a, gasket or packing or direct seat for a closure wedge releases the closure member and as the member l6. wedge rises, it engages the lug 2'! and carries the 40 The member IS in size is suflicient to cover the closure member out of port closing position an area of the gasket, but preferably larger and subextent depending on the degree of movement of stantially the same as the area of the flange. the lever 3|. Upon reversing the movement of Guide means are provided to aid in seating the the lever to close the port, the rod 25 lowers the 4 plate. These are combined with means for perclosure member until movement of the latter is mitting a wedging action to close the plate, and arrested, in registration or axial alinement with likewise may serve as stop means to arrest transthe port, by the engagement of ears 2|, 22 with verse movement of the plate during the port closthe yoke arms l1, 18, respectively. Due to the ing operation. Altogether these functions are lost motion connection provided between the cloperformed by a yoke of U-shape spanning the sure member and the operating rod 25, the lat- 50 orifice. The yoke has parallel side arms I! and ter can continue moving independently of the clol8 welded to the edges of the flange at diametsure member and thus effect the cooperation of rically opposite places, some welding being indithe wedge members to force the closure member cated at IS. The base 20 of the yoke may be axially of the port into sealing contact with the generally parallel with the face of the flange, but gasket. This axial movement of the closure 55 member compresses the gasket uniformly and Without any tendency to abraid it or dislodge it from its seat.

While I have shown and described an embodiment of the invention which is simple in construction and operation and aiTords convenient accessibility for renewal of the gasket, I do not wish to be restricted specifically to the illustrated form of the invention except as so limited by the appended claim.

7 I claim:

A closure mechanism for a port lying substantially in a vertical plane comprising .a member providing a port opening, a closure plate adapted to fit over the port, a fixed yoke encompassing the port and closely encompassing the plate as 'siderable vertical play permitting wedging action of the rod when the plate is in its lowermost position, and permitting opening of the port without raising the plate.

CLINTON K. TEXTOR. 

